If Only
by manicpixiedeadgirlwalking
Summary: Skin Deep AU where Belle refuses to leave when Rumple throws her out and makes him talk to her. Rumbelle Christmas in July present for kacymyth. One-shot.


**Okay, so this is for the first-ever Rumbelle Christmas in July on tumblr to help with the Once Upon a Time hiatus. My giftee is kacymyth, and I sure hope I did her prompt justice. My tumblr is sirrumplestiltskin if you want to follow me and/or send me prompts to write. I will try to work on A Sweet Poison when I can. Hope you enjoy it.**

Belle wasn't sure how long she was in the cold, dark dungeon. Hours, most likely. It sure felt like it. Enough time had passed that she had become sure he was going to make her starve to death. And for what? For daring to try to use True Love's Kiss on him? And how he yelled at her, about how no one could ever love him-who the bloody hell put that thought into his head?

She heard the dungeon door open and Rumple walked in. He didn't look at her, and his expression was cold.

"So," she said, "what are you going to do to me?"

He stretched out his arm and pointed to the door. "Go," he said, his voice harsh and unforgiving.

She looked at him with a disbelieving look.

He looked at her then, with a gaze so full of anger it would scare most people.

Belle was not most people.

"You heard me," he spat. "Go. Leave. Now. Before I change my mind. Believe me, I'm being more than merciful."

"No," she said, standing up. She would not let him scare her. She loved him, and she was certain he felt the same, but something made him afraid to admit it. She needed to find out why, and fix it if she could.

His eyes widened. "No?" he asked. Then his face morphed into a sarcastic sneer. "Would you prefer me turning you into a snail?"

She stood in front of him, looking him straight in the face. "No, I would prefer you to be honest with me, Rumplestiltskin. You're throwing me out because you're frightened. I would like to know why."

Rumple scowled. "I'm not afraid. I'm the Dark One. People are afraid of me. No, my powers just mean more to me than you. It's simple, dearie."

She tried not to let him hurt her. He was angry, even hurt, and he was trying to hurt her in return.

"That's bullshit, and you know it, Rumplestiltskin. I am in love with you. I'm not trying to 'defeat you' or anything, I just want to be with you and love you. And correct me if you're wrong, but you feel the same for me. I know it. But you're scared, for whatever reason, and you think no one can love you. Whoever made you feel that way, Rumple, they're wrong. You're worthy of love. You just have to let me in."

He didn't look at her, and his face was impassive.

"You have to come to terms with the fact that I do love you, and you love me back. I'll never stop fighting for you, and the goodness I know is deep down in your heart."

Something flickered in his eyes, something that resembled the man she had fallen in love with. His face lost some of its hardness and bitterness and anger it had had since he first went off on her hours earlier.

She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "Rumple, what the Queen was trying to do wasn't what I wanted to do. She wanted to harm you, I just want to help you be the good man I know you are."

"I can't lose my power," he told her, his voice soft.

"Why not?" she asked.

"My son." When she looked at him in confusion, he explained. "A long time ago, I broke a deal. The only deal I have ever broke. It was with my son, Baelfire." He explained how Rumple broke a deal with Bae and now his son was in some other world and Rumple needed his magic to find Bae again.

Belle looked at him in surprise. She always figured he wasn't some power-hungry monster, but she didn't consider that he had a loved one he needed to find. This changed things a lot.

"Rumple, I…well, I don't understand. Obviously it's not a situation I've been in. But you should have told me. I never would have tried to strip you of your magic-which I did only with the best of intentions."

"I've never come across anyone I trusted enough to tell the story to," he confessed. "Everyone fears me. And the two women I gave my heart to-they betrayed me."

"That's why you think no one will ever love you," she realized. "But I do. It's not your fault you had your heart broken. It's not your fault-it's their fault. You are a loving and loyal man, Rumple, and that they couldn't see that is their bad."

"I've done so much bad, terrible things, Belle," he said. "Things I can't justify even to myself."

"That doesn't mean you can't be a good person, Rumple," Belle insisted. "I know you can. I have faith in you."

Rumplestiltskin looked at Belle as if she were something he didn't even know existed. "Why?" he whispered.

"You're not the monster I thought you'd be in the beginning," she told him. "You're not perfect by any means, but I know more than anything you are a loving man."

Belle then found herself enveloped in Rumplestiltskin's arms.

"Oh Belle," he said. "Brave, darling, daring Belle. I don't deserve you. I doubt I ever will."

"You will. You do," she said, and pulled away. "I want to help you find your son," she said, making her lover gape in shock.

"You-you do?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course," she told him. "You need to find your son, and then maybe you can finally kiss me," she said with clear hope in her eyes, smiling at him.

"Maybe," he said, and reached to caress her face lovingly. "You're too good for me, Belle. Too good for anyone."

"Don't say that," she scolded. "Don't ever say that. You're good for me, more than good for me. You mustn't think that about yourself, ever. I love you more than anything. You are loved, and you are good enough. To hell with people who disagree."

He looked at her with tenderness in his eyes. "I wish I could kiss you."

She smiled at him. "I know. Let's get started on helping you reunite with Baelfire."


End file.
